Suicides are the Leading Cause of Jail Deaths Continued

A 27-year-old in a Texas county jail was on suicide watch. He had attempted suicide using a bed sheet a few months before. He suffered from bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia. One day he was discovered in his cell hanging from a bed sheet that he had used as a ligature. The sheet was secured to his cell’s sprinkler system. He didn’t survive.

Inmates have used many methods to commit suicide in jail, though hanging is by far the most common. One inmate who took his own life had been placed in a padded cell. His means of death was banging his head against things inside the cell that weren’t padded.

A former director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards said that suicidal inmates will find a way to take their own life. Towels and clothing have been used. He said trash bags had also been used but expressed his shock that a person would do that.

Lapses in face-to-face observations of inmates are frequently associated with custodial suicides. Proper screening is another area TCJS identified as a way of shoring up suicide prevention procedures.

Since the death of Sandra Bland, the use of trash cans and plastic bags has come under review. The length of phone cords is also an issue since inmates have used them to hang themselves.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6 of this continuing series.

Helping Texas jail detainees and their families with resources is one of the purposes of this website. There is no intention of suggesting that people or organizations have been involved in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor